March 10, 2006

Anyone who has young children knows that the single most difficult challenge is how to keep them entertained.

It's the very thing that can make the difference between a happy child who is enjoyable to be around and a child who is constantly looking for trouble.

But, this simple objective seems to be much easier said than done.

If you are unable to keep your child entertained, you're likely to find that they have colored their bedroom walls, stuck a peanut butter sandwich into the VCR, or cut their own bangs when you weren't looking.

For some, entertaining their child means parking them in front of the T.V. to watch Sesame Street. Others haul their child to class after class, at great expense or spend hours each day at the park endlessly pushing a swing.

I've personally discovered that there is an easy way to keep young children entertained.

Not only does it keep them entertained, but it accomplishes a variety of other things as well:

I know what you're saying -- That's all well and good for kids. As parents, we want the best for our children and will do whatever it takes to give them the best life we can, but do we have to do kid crafts?!?

Okay, that's what I used to think. Doing kid crafts, especially toddlers and preschoolers seemed like such a pain in the neck. I used to think that it was too messy, hard to organize, and really not worth the effort until they got a little older. Then a friend of mine got me to try it a couple of times and I found out that doing these types of activities really made my job as a parent soooo much easier!

~ The kids argued less among themselves and with me~ Discipline became easier and less necessary~ They played together better, even developed their own little games~ I didn't have to constantly entertain them anymore~ My oldest started helping me more with the younger ones and even wanted to help in the housework~ They all became easier to handle when we went out

You get the picture. The point is that kid crafts really made a big difference in our daily lives! Now we do a project of some kind nearly every day and everyone is happier!

The only problem is finding age-appropriate crafts.

I searched through a ton of free websites and bought a few child crafting books, only to be disappointed. Most of the resources I found were just too old for my children.

That's when I came across "Little Kid Crafts For All Seasons," and I absolutely love it!

Not only is this craft book full of unique ideas, the author, Chris Yates, has even put in a lot of extra ideas to make each craft more or less challenging, depending on the skills of your child.

This is more than just a kid's crafting book, it's really a guide on how to craft with your child, create learning opportunities, and create your own projects to do with your child as they grow.

Chris really wants you to get the most mileage out of every craft project she writes about.

I guess you can tell that I like Little Kid Crafts For All Seasons - actually I think it's one of the best books on the market for crafting with younger children. That's why I feel so comfortable recommending it to you.

The best part about this book is that you can gain instant access to it. It's the first kid's crafting book that I've ever seen available in an e-book.

If you craft with your toddler or preschooler, or you want to, don't waste your time looking through free web sites. Don't waste your money on craft books that will leave you disappointed.